Daily check-in: Something catchy that rhymes with January!
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Yup, he told me that usually, people are stronger on the deadlift than on the squat, but it was my fourth exercise and I was getting tired (I think). We completed 3 sets at 55 and he suggested me to try at least at 60 when I will be doing it in my routine. But, as I said, he also insisted on doing more than 1 set, even if I told him it was only one in the program. Maybe if we did only one, I would have take an heavier charge. Not sure about this.
Thanks for your advice, it's appreciated!0 -
Oh, and thanks on explaining the progressive overload. It makes a lot more sense for me now.0
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DaivaSimone wrote: »I am still feeling a little bit shy and uncomfortable in the gym, but it could have been way worse, so everything is ok.
whoa, you've got nothing to feel shy about if you started out benching 60 and squatting with 70 pounds! it took me months to get my bench press up to that point, and my squat was almost as slow.
go you for going.
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DaivaSimone wrote: »Yup, he told me that usually, people are stronger on the deadlift than on the squat, but it was my fourth exercise and I was getting tired (I think). We completed 3 sets at 55 and he suggested me to try at least at 60 when I will be doing it in my routine. But, as I said, he also insisted on doing more than 1 set, even if I told him it was only one in the program. Maybe if we did only one, I would have take an heavier charge. Not sure about this.
Thanks for your advice, it's appreciated!
At this light a load it might actually be worthwhile to do 3 sets of 5 in order to speed up getting the motor pattern down. Once you get to the 45s on each side (135 total), you might wanna drop down to 2 or even a single set and follow the instructions more closely. I reckon if you squat 70 you can probably deadlift 95 for a set of 5 already. If you start at 65 or 70 you have a bit of time to adjust to the movement is the way I see it
It does get to be a fairly taxing lift after a while. 0 -
canadianlbs wrote: »DaivaSimone wrote: »I am still feeling a little bit shy and uncomfortable in the gym, but it could have been way worse, so everything is ok.
whoa, you've got nothing to feel shy about if you started out benching 60 and squatting with 70 pounds! it took me months to get my bench press up to that point, and my squat was almost as slow.
go you for going.
Hehe. Thanks.
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Well, I was just rubbish this morning, squats, bench and rows blah, blah, blah. Three interesting things happened.
1) I tried the parallel feet position again for the squats and this time it felt much easier.
2) A PT showed me his swollen ankle and photos on his phone of the same.
3) When I arrived I could see through the window that there were people in the squat rack. I said to the PT at reception (who was already sniggering), "There are people at my squat rack, and they don't even know they are in my squat rack" and the PT replied, "Yep. New Resolutioners... and it gets worse Loggie, they are curling in your squat rack". I don't like bashing new users, but it did make me feel like I wasn't a newbie any more.
Anyway, I've felt this coming on over Christmas. I'm not making any gains, just fannying about, so... I'm taking a week off.0 -
Second time doing workout A.
Squat 5x5 @ 55 lbs
Bench 5x5 @ 50 lbs
Rows 5x5 @ 50 lbs
Still not horribly difficult, but the bench press definitely took a little more effort this time. Also discovered that the weight room is pretty empty at 9 am on a week day. Good to know!0 -
Oh Overhead Press, you effing effer! Grrrrrr.
StrongLifts 5x5 / Workout B
Squats - 5x5 @ 120 lbs
- Woot! These were heavy but pretty great. Felt like my form was decent 99% of the time. And I tried moving my thumb to behind the bar, tried to support the bar with my shoulder blades more, and it helped with the discomfort in my arms so much.
Overhead Press - 2x5 @ 47.5 lbs., 3x5 @ 40 lbs.
- See above. These are the WORST.
- I struggled with these in the first set. Form was uggh in the second set. Tried a third with just 45 lbs. and it didn't go anywhere. So deloaded down to 40 lbs. and ground out the last three sets.
- This is my third fail at 47.5 lbs., so I'm deloading to 40 lbs. next time anyway.
Deadlifts - Warmup 1x5 @ 135 lbs, 2x5 @ 165 lbs.
- Thank goodness OHP day ends with deadlifts!
- These felt AMAZING!!!!! I wanted more, so I did a second set, and they felt awesome too! Hell! Yes!
I finished up around 5 PM and the gym was starting to get insane, so I skipped my other accessory work and just got out of there! Got home and took a nice, hour-long walk with Huckleberry. It was great.
Have to run, but will comment on everyone else's amazing-ness later.
xoxox,
C.0 -
Nice work everyone.
Today I did nothing. Woot! Didn't even put on makeup and only left the apartment to take out the trash. Glorious day off work and rest day together at last. Actually, I did laundry and cooked some chicken. Need more food readily available so am working on that. Going to do cardio tomorrow then hit the weights on Thursday with hopefully enough rest to feel not so weak. Beef is thawing in fridge too. mmm
On the topic of deadlift, however... Does the weights roll a bit during the move on anyone else? Maybe I need to watch more videos of others doing the sets but it seemed to wobble last time and between that and grip, I had to pause longer between reps on occasion to fix the grip and positioning. I like them too but that bugged me a little yesterday.0 -
Awesome job @crabada! I love that feeling and in jealous (more below) and Hickleberry is the cutest name.
Dawn, I love lazy days. By wobble do you mean they spin around or slide? If it's sliding, try tightening the clamps. Some spinning is normal i think since you're hitting the weight on the ground. Other than touching it more lightly, don't know how to avoid this.
Late night gym sesh to avoid the crowd.
I squatted 120 5x5 boom! I did the thumbless grip and it was fine. I tightened my back with my shoulders to create maximum padding like @krokador said and I tried not to worry about my hands except to keep the bar on me. I saw some pictures online of power lifters with their fingers barely on the bar and it kept me from gripping the bar for dear life.
OHP 55 5x5 boom! I'm going to do more sets with fewer reps when I move up.
Deadlift deloaded a butt-ton![:\](https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/resources/emoji/confused.png ":\")
I did a bad job pulling 185 last week and it made me realize I need to fix my form. I started at 95 and worked up by ten until I decided to do two working sets of five at 135. I had a hard time keeping my butt low without worrying about hitting my knees. I was so focused on this, however, that I didn't realize I was doing a double overhand grip, so win?
I also helped the gym attendant put away a tractor tire.
It was a good workout and I broke my plateau on two lifts so I'm trying not to get too bummed over dropping so much weight off my deads. They're my favorite and I want to rock them again.0 -
DaivaSimone wrote: »The coach estimated that I needed an heavier load on almost all the exercises, and I ended up doing the squat with a 70 pounds charge and the bench press at 60. Deadlift attempt was at 55, and overhead press at 35 pounds. I thought that the spirit of this program was to start slow and low, and the coach was more like: if you can do it, do it.
Any thoughts about this?
Also, the coach is using a method that he call a progressive overload, where I should do my loads until I struggle to complete the 5th repetitions on my last sets, and then work to be able to complete the 5 x 5 before adding more weights. Again, it's a little bit "against" how the workout was designed, so I'm not sure what I am supposed to do with this.
I am still feeling a little bit shy and uncomfortable in the gym, but it could have been way worse, so everything is ok.
OK, first of all, you will feel shy for about another 3.2 seconds and then you will just feel at home. I promise. Just hang in there, and know that every single one of those people was a newbie at some point. And they are also all self-involved and don't care what you're doing (in a good way).
Second -- and I may be in the minority here -- but unless you've lifted with free weights before, I think starting with just the bar on all exercises can be really beneficial, even if you *can* lift more. (I mean, aside from deads and rows since you need them off the ground - and with those, I started with low weights and stacked them on plates to get the right height.)
If you were to go back and look at previous months of these daily check-ins, you would see multiple people talking about deloading to concentrate on form. The weight comes on pretty darn quickly -- 15 lbs. per week for squats! -- so I think focusing on form over adding weight to the bar is a good use of those first few weeks. Again, just my two cents. Do whatever makes you feel most comfortable.
You're going to kick so much *kitten*. I can tell. 0 -
Hi everyone! So I basically took December off. I lifted twice =| BAD ME
Soooo today I am back on the wagon but I had to deload a lot urggh.
Squats - Warmup @45, 1x5@55, 1x5@65, 5x5@70. Worked up to 70 to see how far I had to deload. I was at 80 I think before Dec so it wasn't as bad as I expected.
OHP & Good Mornings - I am always going to do these together because they pair so perfectly in the cage. 5x5@45 OHP and 5x5@45 GMs. I was supposed to deload more but I do these in the cage so 45 is what I have. I was just glad to get all 5x5 although my form was admittedly poor on a few.
I had to skip DL. As soon as I was done in the cage the free bar got taken, grr
Did strenuous row machine for 15min instead.
Welcome Daiva, sounds like you are doing awesome!!!
I always focus on form over all else. I tend to be slow to add weight, doing 2-3 sessions at the same squat weight before moving up.0 -
@mirrim52 awesome lifts for your second A workout!
@crabada the deadlift queen!
@DaivaSimone I tend to agree with crabada on this one--proper form trumps all.
My workout this AM:
Squat 5x5 @ 70 lbs
bench 5x5 @ 55 lbs
row 5x5 @ 55 lbs
Chinup walk the plank 5x8
Third world squat 5x8
Up again in all weights, everything felt good! I've gone back to the barbell row (was doing dumbbell). I found a great form video for rows. It's about the best one I have found. FWIW I think it is easier to have proper form and to feel the lift more in your back with the underhanded grip described in the video.
youtu.be/vT2GjY_Umpw
Staying home today--bitterly cold, snowing, and white-out conditions here! I thought when it was very cold it wasn't supposed to snow...uggggh, can't wait 'til Spring 0 -
Hit up GBB Day 5 - Complex day! Was a good one despite the cold and tiredness that comes with reswitching my sleep schedule, really
EMOTM x6
Goblet Bulgarian split squat x5/leg @ 25lbs
5 rounds of double 30lbs KB
- clean x5
- swing x5
- deadlift x5
- push-ups (on KBs) x10
Then 4 rounds of 30/30/15 seconds of TRX squat row (really awkward move I can't really describe xD) and cross body plank knee tucks (slow and controlled)
finished up with
Front squats 3x5 @ 75 (really just for form. Greasing the groove, as they say)
3 full cleans @ 75, which felt really smooth!
T-Bar rows
25x8
35x2x8
35x7->25x5 drop set
@scientific yeah, they're forecasting a windchill of almost -40 tonight. Not loking forward to that! Uuugh. Hoping to sneak in a walk during lunchbreak before the temp dips down!0 -
Yay I made it back to the gym!
Workout A
Squat, 5x5 just body weight till my form is perfect
Pull ups, assisted weight @100lbs 5x5, ouch.. hard
Bench Press, 5x5 @ 45lbs, it told me to deload since I hadn't been in a few weeks, however these were incredibly easy, up to 50lbs next time
Barbell Rows, 5x5 @50lbs, these are hard for me but I think my form is much better after watching some videos.
100 burpees.
It was a good day at the gym, I'm sore and I'm satisfied.0 -
I finally got my first SL workout of 2015 in yesterday morning. Since it had been over a week since my last workout, the app suggested a deload, which I followed.
Workout B:
Squat: 90 lbs 5x5. Felt good and will go up next time.
OHP: 45 lbs 5x5. These felt pretty easy, and I got a form tip from a guy at the gym that seemed to help also. Maybe this tip will make it easier to go up in weight? We'll see.
Deadlift: 115 lbs 1x5. I dropped down from the suggested 130 lbs because I wasn't sure how these would feel, but 115 was pretty easy.
Due to the -5 degree high temp today, I am planning to do a treadmill run this afternoon and then back to SL tomorrow morning.
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Was back up at 4:35am this morning to get to the gym by 5am. As I am typing this I feel like I have already been awake for an entire day and my "workday" only started an hour ago...ugh!
BUT, I felt ok at the gym.
Squats - Deloaded a bit to play with form
1x5 @ 85, 1x5 @ 95, 5x5 @ 105 (and these felt hard, just did 115 a week ago)
I also have been playing around with bar position, connection to my back. I have found the "squeeze" I do with the bar to my shoulders helps hold the weight more comfortably, but sometimes after my session my shoulders are so tight it hurts to sit up straight. Anyone else have this issue??
OHP - I keep going between 50 and 55 on these, today it was 50. I think the mornings are tough, even with a protein shake in my belly. I just don't have as much strength, but I love the empty gym...
DL - GRRRRRRR. I forgot my gloves in the diaper bag and my hands were hurtin bad! I did 1x5 @ 95 and then 1x5 @ 115 (should have been 140 today) and my hands were screaming at me!
Added in seated row 1x8 @ and 2x8 @
I could have done more, but I was running out of time. May be back tomorrow morning. I know we are supposed to rest between, but my schedule got a little funky due to kid stuff this week.
Nice work everyone! I love checking in and seeing everyones progress!!!0 -
I heard everyone's advice about the charge I should use on my workouts. I think I will take a medium point in the middle of what the coach suggested me to use and what the program suggest. I'm gonna do another "trial" run on Friday and will fix my starting load after that. I will start Stronglifts officially on monday.
Beside that, major (I mean MAJOR) DOMS today, but this was to be expected. I'm tired and hungry (but this was expected also), and I am looking forward to my usual cardio routine tonight to stretch some things out.
Congrats to everyone who had successes today! 0 -
Oh, and this:mrmrsvoelkel wrote: »Yay I made it back to the gym!
100 burpees.
OMG, amazing. Doing one is currently a success for me. 0 -
DaivaSimone wrote: »Oh, and this:mrmrsvoelkel wrote: »Yay I made it back to the gym!
100 burpees.
OMG, amazing. Doing one is currently a success for me.
Thank you! I'm actually doing 100 burpees a day minimum for the whole year They are a pain, but you can't get more for your buck then with those little *kitten* hahahha. 0 -
Workout A
Squats 5x5 at 90 lbs
Bench 5x5 at 70 lbs
Rows 5x5 at 70 lbs
Still really sore from ab work on Monday.0 -
Workout B
The dreaded OHL killed me.
Squats 5x5 at 45kg
OHP 5x2, 4x1, 2x2 at 25
Deadlift 1x5 at 50kg0 -
I have looked up burpees before and there seems to be a wide range of what people consider a complete burpee. Mrs Voelkel, Krok, what do you guys do?0
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Cardio Day
One hour on the treadmill, 15 minutes of which was jogging. Not in a row, I split it up but managed to do a whole 10 minutes the first section, which is the longest I've jogged at one time. Making progress. May get to do that 5k in June. *plots*0 -
I have looked up burpees before and there seems to be a wide range of what people consider a complete burpee. Mrs Voelkel, Krok, what do you guys do?
My burpees go like this.
Jump up
squat down
put hands on floor
kick your feet back into plank
push up
jump up
one burpee.
There are several varieties that I will be playing with this year, man makers, hell raisers, double push-up, there's so many.
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I have looked up burpees before and there seems to be a wide range of what people consider a complete burpee. Mrs Voelkel, Krok, what do you guys do?
Pretty much the same as mrsvoelkel. squat down, drop to push-up, jump back up and then hop (the height of the hop gets smaller as I get tired, obviously xD)
I also came up with my own version which I call a Krasher. They're rather similar to a manmaker, but actually add a little oomph (to be done with dumbbells or kettlebells, one in each hand)
- squat down
- drop to plank
- renegade push-up on each side
- cross body knee tuck on each side
- jump back up
- end with a double snatch (or a tuck jump if doing BW)
I once did a workout of like 25 of those and was completely toast and it took over 15 minutes! lol (was a couple years back, though. There's a youtube video on my channel, I might dig out the link xD).
I've been meaning to try burpouts (burpees + sitouts) for a while now, too.0 -
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Today was deadlifts and I hit a PR! I think I could've done one more rep, but I was so excited that I hit 4 reps that I started giggling and lost it.
Deadlifts
5@150lbs
3@170lbs
4@190lbs
190!!! Excuse me while I do my happy dance!!
Accessories:
Squats - 12, 14, 12@125lbs
Bent over 1arm rows - 3x10@35lbs
Leg lifts - 3x15
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I also came up with my own version which I call a Krasher. They're rather similar to a manmaker, but actually add a little oomph (to be done with dumbbells or kettlebells, one in each hand)
- squat down
- drop to plank
- renegade push-up on each side
- cross body knee tuck on each side
- jump back up
- end with a double snatch (or a tuck jump if doing BW)
I once did a workout of like 25 of those and was completely toast and it took over 15 minutes! lol (was a couple years back, though. There's a youtube video on my channel, I might dig out the link xD).
I've been meaning to try burpouts (burpees + sitouts) for a while now, too.
Does anyone else still read Krok's stuff and just think "Holy *kitten* she's insane!" (and awesome, obviously!)?0
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